ABC has ordered a pilot based on the story of Beauty and the Beast … a week after The CW ordered a pilot based on Beauty and the Beast. How many Beasts can you handle?

The CW version is loosely based on the 1987 CBS TV show that starred Linda Hamilton. While the ABC version is from Jonathan Steinberg (Human Target, Jericho) and is described as “a fantastical re-imagining of the classic fairy tale set in a mythical, dangerous world wherein a beautiful and tough Princess discovers an unlikely connection with a mysterious beast.” OK, so that logline told you nothing.

The project is on brand for both networks, too. ABC has OnceUpon a Time and is owned by Disney – so there’s no telling them to back off a fairy tale. The CW has Vampire Diaries and Secret Circle, which certainly fit this genre.

The surprise success of Once likely helped ease both these projects in the development pipeline. There’s no telling if either will progress to a series order, but wouldn’t it be confusingly awesome to have two Beauty and the Beast shows fighting it out in primetime? How would they be different, I wonder (aside from The CW’s Beauty being younger, weighing 87 pounds and having Beast-sex by the end of Season 1)?